Oh wow, swimming with dolphins in Turkey! I am well excited.

This is a lifetime ambition of mine but I thought it would need to wait until I went to Mexico or the USA.

Someone PLEASE tell me more about this.

C xxx

http://www.beachpark.com.tr/en/dolphin/index.htm Thomas Cook do a trip here for £27 per person but I got a brochure from Belek Doga Tour http://www.belektour.com and it is only £14 per person!

Thanks for the link to the site steph79, looks a great day out....lots more to do than just seeing the dolphins although that is a main attraction.
Im stayin in Icmeler, does any1 know roughly how long it would take to get there (Antalya) in our hired car?

Thats awful Briarskeg. I never really thought about how they are treated behind the scenes, afterall they seem so happy when in the shows, performing, inteacting with people etc.
Hopefully these dolphins arent treated in the same way as those poor dolphins caught in Egypt.

Kate

I reckon you would be looking at a good 4 hours plus as an inexperienced driver on Turkish roads

Cheers

LA

Well i wasnt expecting it to be that long, may have to re-think that trip
Thanks leighanne

hi its medot here from the egypt forum. i've been looking on the internet regarding the dolphins/whales held at dolphinland Antalya. Mmm it is really hard to find any reviews on these sort of places. to be honest i found nothing FOR this place but at the same time nothing AGAINST it.
if you go to this website
http://gerry.afn.at/modules.php?name=gallery you should find lots of pictures of the dolphin show. looking at these you should be able to get a feel for the place.
it opened in 2002 and does the usual shows and swim with dolphins for both abled and disabled people. but not on the same scale as say discovery cove in america. there are only 2 dolphins and 2 whales here.
to be honest if you go and you liked it fine write about it but.. if you go and were not happy then contact the marine connection (details in previous reply). at the end of the day we should be thinking of the mammals welfare here and not our little pleasures.

message for scottishmum
if you want an experience of a lifetime swimming with dolphins check out these websites
http://wwwdolphinconnectionexperience.com
http://www.wild-and-free.co.uk
http://www.dolphinreef.co.il/

medot.x

Wow never knew there was a dolphin thingy in Turkey.

Let them go I say.

John

briarskeg. naughty naughty if you read my message you would see i have put details of the eilat website here. it called dolphin reef. to me it doesn't look that bad far better than an aquarium sort of place.medot.x
ps regarding the marine connection they are a charity that are there to help the welfare of dolphins and whales so i doubt whether they would recommend any of these sort of places.

briarskeg thats fine dont worry i nearly said something about johns message "let them go i say" i thought he meant let the people go to see the dolphins! not let THE DOLPHINS go its been a hard day medot.x

So did I! So does that mean we can't?

steph79. at the end of the day YOU have to decide yourself whether you want to go to this place or not. medot.x

Hi There!

I swam with the dolphins in Turkey.

They only allow a few to do it so when you are on the coach the rep will ask who wants to do it - then they dash off the coach to arrange it all for you.

You go in after the show when everyone has gone - the only ones there are the families who have someone swimming.

I asked the rep about the treatment and their living conditions and was assured by the rep that these are well cared for dolphins and so I paid my £30 and went in for a 5 min swim.

5 mins is a long time when they are pulling you around - its hard work hanging on - the keeper there tells you what to do etc.

There were two dolphins in the pool and when one has pulled you around the next one comes along and takes you - it was out of this world and I must say it was a honour to be in there with them.

Remember though you have to be a good swimmer and if children are going in warn them its very cold and it is salt water - believe it or not some people had paid to go in but couldnt swim - they didnt get a refund.

Enjoy every second.

Joolz

Thanks for the comments everyone. I really can't find much info about this place so I think I will just have to check it out when we are there. I know when we saw a dolphin show in France about 6 years ago we were really not happy about the conditions they were kept in and would not have contributed to their misery.

My daughter is very concerned about animal welfare so it will be more important than her own enjoyment. The aquapark looks good so she and her friend will enjoy that anyway.

steph79. good for you. at the end of the day some people do have to go to these places just to report back as to what they're like. if you go and like what you see fine let this forum know. at the same time if you are not happy with what you see inform the marine connection. this place has been open for a few years if it were not up to scratch i'm sure someone would have reported the place by now. the ones in sharm haven't been open for long and lots of people have complained to the marine connection regarding these facilities.medot.x

I've just read another link and they mentioned swimming with dolphins. Where can you do this and how much does it cost?

Any info greatly received!

Cheers.

hiya mark,

while out on boat trips you are taken to swim with dolphins slim chance of seeing one though!

wgipk.

We were so lucky when we took a boat trip from Kalkan. Not only dolphins but turtles - never realised they were so BIG

I have just read through this topic and all the links and I too never thought of it in this way and I took have just sign the petition to save the dolphins lets hope a few more HTers do the same